11th August 2024

Review: “The Requiem” by The Lucidia Project

Hailing from Fargo, North Dakota The Lucidia Project have made a name for themselves by blending together piano melodies with heavy riffs and dark atmospheres in a style that you might loosely call Progressive Symphonic Melodic Death Metal. Founded in 2022 by the song writing partnership of vocalist and pianist Chase Baldwin and bassist and guitarist Ben Jacobs, in 2023 they were joined by rhythm guitarist Chris Polasky and lead guitarist Daniel Williams before drummer Bruce Reisenauer signed on the dotted line. The idea they shared was for songs that juxtaposed melodic lead vocals against harsh ones while adding piano melodies to poetic and introspective lyrics as well as having heavy riffs and lush string arrangements…

The ambition of The Lucidia Project is obvious from the first listen to “The Requiem” because while it suffers in the mix and lacks the production value to really elevate it to the level it deserves, all the quality that it has at its heart shine through. During the opening cut “Requiem” the piano parts float over the track with an air of separation but their lush melodies are stunning, as are the Melodic Death Metal inspired lead guitars. The drums are midi but the midi samples where played on an e-kit and midi controller and sounds a little flat but they drive the tune forward with an energy, not allowing it to falter at any point. Baldwin’s clean vocals soar, his almost mournful tale of a broken relationship told with a heartfelt quality that you can’t deny. If you remember “Smothered” by Spineshank then this feels like a demo in the same vein, cut from the same cloth as a foundation and then built upon with so many more elements its unreal. “Eventide” has hints of Evanescence as an influence in lush keys and aching clean vocals, the harsh backing vocals adding another dimension. Having a greater contrast between the melodic moments and the heavier ones adds a nice textural quality, the guitars and backing vocals little lower in the mix than they could be – but the dynamic is still there to be heard and sounds great.

An effeminate quality to the soaring vocals rises to the surface as “Deliverance” plays out, the piano accompaniment alone enhancing the emotive nature of it all and making it surprisingly captivating without the guitars. It has a grit and integrity that you can feel before the palate cleansing “Interlude (Seeing the Truth)” offers up an instrumental passageway to “The End of the Lies“. Naturally the finale sees the guitars return, however the raspy unclean vocal parts are a little rough around the edges. Fortunately the whispered and clean parts are not and add presence as well as a powerful chorus. Perhaps not as polished as the earlier tracks, it still has oceans of potential and there is no doubt that this record could be made to sound huge given the right producer, better equipment and a decent mix and master. Hopefully the band are able to persuade someone to back them… [7/10]

Track Listing